Prince of Egypt
by Tsunami Storm
Summary: Eighth in the Dragon Prince series. Our heroes' journey is finally over, but that doesn't mean that darkness is vanquished. Now it is time for the new generation to take up arms against the forces of evil. Featuring several new faces and all of our old friends. Mizu, Peach, Plea, Polar, and many more ships. Rated K for some violent moments, but no worse than what's in the show.
1. Origins

Hello again, FF . net! It's me, Tsunami Storm with another instalment in the 'Dragon Prince' series! Hope you enjoy!

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own YuGiOh! 'nuff said. This amazing series belongs to the one and only Kazuki Takahashi. All hail you, senpai!

Prince of Egypt, another long YuGiOh! fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 1: Origins

* * *

"You ready to go, Seto?" Mokuba asked carefully as he looked back to the door that connected the brothers' rooms to their shared bathroom.

"Just about, kiddo." came the reply, and Mokuba smiled, just a little nervous. This was the first time in a long while that they were going to the doctor's office for their annual check-up. The last time Seto had gone was- Mokuba didn't even remember, but it was when Gozaburo was still their 'guardian'. He had taken them to a pediatrician who was a friend of his, and neither of the boys had liked him one bit. He and the nurses that worked under him had always turned a blind eye to all of the older brother's bruises and scars. They'd known _exactly_ what was going on at 'home' in the Kaiba mansion, but did nothing about it. It was apparent that Mokuba was nervous about going to the doctor's, even now when Gozaburo had been dead and gone for years.

"Okay Mokuba. I'm ready. What about you?" Seto smiled as he walked into Mokuba's room, pulling on a regular jacket over a T-shirt and comfortable jeans, a pair of dark sunglasses in his jacket pocket. It was an outfit that he almost _never_ wore anymore, but today he wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. Mokuba was similarly dressed, only the younger boy was wearing shorts, a polo shirt and a baseball cap to hide his long hair. Today the Kaiba brothers looked like regular teenagers, even though they were anything but.

"Yep. I'm ready." the younger brother answered with a nod, and was rewarded with his favorite smile from his big brother.

"I know you must be nervous." Seto commented as they were walking out of their house to the garage. "But we're not going to _that guy_ anymore. We're gonna see Dr. Itonami. You know her. She's a friend." Seto smiled again, an image of the young woman appearing in his mind's eye.

"Really?" Mokuba asked, relieved. He'd tried not to show it, but he was terrified of going to their old pediatrician. Then he remembered that their old doctor had resigned years ago, after being sued several times for malpractice. In fact, Mokuba suspected that the physician had only stayed in business because of substantial bribes from Gozaburo.

"Really really." Seto joked as he climbed into the driver's side of his red Ferrari, and Mokuba got in the front passenger seat. Today was their chauffeur's day off, so the brothers had to drive themselves if they wanted to go anywhere.

* * *

It was a short drive to the clinic where Hana worked, so the brothers spent it in silence, one happy to see his friend again and the other somewhat nervous about his appointment. Mokie would be getting just a regular check-up, but Seto had an additional reason for going to the doctor today. His back had been bothering him lately. Not the muscles or bones in his spine, but something on the surface of his skin. He'd have given himself a diagnosis, but he couldn't see what was happening because of all his scars. He mentally cursed Gozaburo for the umpteenth time, hoping that the former tycoon was burning in the deepest pits of Duat for everything he'd done. Not just to him, but to his own flesh and blood. His own _son_ , Noah.

The brothers arrived at the unassuming clinic with plenty of time to spare and walked into the waiting room with mixed emotions. Seto hid his behind his usual mask, but Mokuba wasn't as practiced, and he was visibly shaking. Seto put a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile of encouragement, silently reassuring the boy -and himself- that everything would be fine.

Seto was just looking through a business magazine when a medical assistant came into the lobby and called their names. Mokuba put his GameBoy in his pocket after saving his game, [Pokémon Blue] and Seto put the magazine on the table from where he'd taken it. The brothers followed the nurse back to one of the rooms, and Seto leaned against the wall as the young woman recorded Mokuba's height and weight. Seto adjusted the ruler himself when it was his turn, as the woman was quite a bit shorter than him and couldn't reach that high.

"Okay, 6'1''-" the woman muttered to herself as she recorded his height in his chart. Then she led the boys back into one of the rooms and recorded the rest of their vital signs. Seto felt a little self-conscious when she took his blood pressure, as he had to remove his jacket and expose his arm, but the medical assistant kept a politely straight face when she saw all the scars. He appreciated that. The last thing he needed was anyone's pity.

"The doctor should be in to see you two momentarily." the woman said, and both boys nodded. Mokuba sat on the exam table and swung his legs over the side, and Seto sat in one of the armchairs, crossing his arms and looking down at his feet.

The door opened after a few minutes, and Dr. Itonami walked in with a beaming smile. "Well, if it isn't my favorite President and Vice-President! Long time no see, boys!"

Mokuba grinned widely and laughed, "Hi, Hana! Oops, Dr. Itonami!" he corrected himself. Seto just looked up and smiled briefly before looking at his brother. "You go first, Mokie. That way you don't have to wait for me." Seto suggested, seeming perfectly calm. But as usual, that was just a mask. He hadn't told his brother what was to happen in his check-up, and Mokuba was instantly suspicious.

"Why's yours gonna be longer than mine, bro? Are you not telling me something?" Mokuba asked with a frown, but Seto didn't answer.

"I can do you first, kiddo. That's fine with me." Hana answered helpfully, and Seto gave her a small smile in gratitude. "Then you can go hang out at Kaiba Land with Seth and Noah." she winked, and Seto started. _How_ _'_ _d she know that_ _**that**_ _was what we were planning today?_ Then he shrugged. _Right. Magic._ Hana always seemed to know more than she let on. It was part of what made her so mysterious.

As expected, Mokuba's check-up didn't take very long at all, and he left the office with Seth within 15 minutes. "Have fun, guys." Seto called with a small smile, and Mokie beamed back. "We will. See you later, bro!" Seto nodded, silently promising to meet up with them at KaibaLand afterwards. He nodded to his other half, and Seth nodded back- silently vowing to keep Mokuba and Noah safe. Not that they expected anything to happen at Kaiba Land, but you never knew _what_ could happen with _their_ crazy lives.

"You ready?" Hana asked, and Seto sighed heavily. "Yeah. I've been waiting a long time for this. I'm just a little-" he trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Hana told him, guessing the problem. "It's not your fault. It's _his_. I don't think any less of you for it, and neither does your family or your friends. It's not what's on the outside, but on the _inside_ that makes the man."

Seto smiled wryly, then sat on the exam table and lay on his stomach, putting his head on the specialized headrest and closing his eyes, trying to relax all of the tension that had suddenly flared up all over his body. He had removed all his clothing but his boxers, and thus was feeling very self-conscious. This was a million times worse than when he'd exposed just his arm for the blood pressure cuff.

"So what seems to be the problem? I mean, other than the obvious?" Hana asked, and Seto sighed again. "My back's been bothering me. It's not the scars, but it feels almost like a stinging, burning tingle. It started when I was back in Egypt in the Memory World, when I summoned my Blue-Eyes for the first time with magic. And it's been getting more and more frequent ever since. I don't really know what's going on." he finished, glaring over his shoulder at the portion of his back that he could see.

"Well, don't worry." Hana reassured him. "We'll fix you right up." She walked over to the sink and washed her hands thoroughly, dried them with a few napkins, then returned to the table where her patient and friend lay. She grimaced when she saw the state of the young man's back, and silently cursed Gozaburo to the deepest circle of Duat where he belonged. Seto's back had so many scars that it resembled dried, cracked mud, but Hana could still barely make out something underneath. It didn't look like a birthmark, and she wasn't sure what it was. Well, they'd find out soon enough.

Seto flinched as a cold something made contact with his back, and Hana smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Cold hands." He shrugged and let her continue. He felt a slight tickle on his back as the master healer erased his many scars one by one. Some of the longest took about a minute, and the small ones took seconds.

After about 20 minutes of constant healing, Hana stepped back from her work for a minute. Seto looked over at her, hoping she hadn't overworked herself in erasing his scars. She smiled at him and wiped some perspiration from her brow. "I'll be right back." she said, stepping out of the room for a moment. When she returned, Seto was surprised to find that she had a bottle of cherry-flavored Gatorade© in her hand.

"Gatorade?" he asked, amused, and Hana shrugged. "It's the best thing that helps restore my magical energy. Healing takes a lot out of ya. More than you'd think."

"Never would've guessed." he chuckled. "How'd you discover that one?"

"Complete accident." Hana laughed, her face a bit pink with embarrassment. "I just took a sip with my coworkers to be polite, and I was at full power at the time. Gave me one heck of a headache." she told him wryly, smiling sheepishly. She carefully unscrewed the cap and took a long swig, breathing deeply and sighing contentedly when she'd finished. "Much better." Then she capped the bottle and returned to her task.

Another 20 minutes passed, and Hana asked her patient to turn over onto his back so she could work on the scars on his chest. He nodded and obliged, rolling over on the bed and giving her a small smile of encouragement and thanks. Hana returned it, then continued her healing process. A small part of her in the back of her mind wolf-whistled at the sight before her eyes. _"Well! Hello muscles_ _!_ _"_ her inner-self quipped, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. Seto caught the tail end of this, and he looked at her questioningly.

"What?" he asked, and Hana's face turned red.

"It's nothing really. Just my subconscious being immature." she answered shyly, trying very hard not to stare.

"Oh really?" he teased, sensing her unspoken thoughts. "You like what you see?" he asked, grinning.

Hana turned beet-red. "Well, I can't really tell _what_ I'm seeing, under all those scars of yours." she teased back, trying to hide her embarrassment. And failing spectacularly.

Seto made a face at her, then rolled his eyes. He knew she wasn't serious. He also knew that after today, he wouldn't have to be embarrassed whenever he and Mokie would go to the beach. He couldn't go swimming anymore, though he'd loved it as a kid. He couldn't stand people judging him, and that's exactly what people would do if he went out in public like this. Hence all the turtleneck shirts and long pants that he always wore.

"I really appreciate you doing this for me." he commented after a minute, and he smiled at his friend again in gratitude.

"No problem." Hana answered distractedly, concentrating on a large scar that stretched all the way from the boy's left shoulder to his right hip. [Sound familiar? Yep. He got that one in 'Empire', remember?] "You have just as much right as anyone else to relax once in a while -like going to the beach with your kid brother, for instance- and not have people staring at you and whispering behind your back." Hana growled, voicing her friend's thoughts aloud without realizing it. "People can be so judgemental sometimes."

"Tell me about it." he answered rhetorically, looking up at the ceiling again as Hana continued to work.

"Did you already finish with my back?" Seto asked after a minute, and Hana nodded. "All except for one mark that was being stubborn. Although, somehow I get the feeling that it wasn't from your stepfather. I think you were born with it. It doesn't look like a regular birthmark, though." she answered, and Seto sat up and looked at his back. Hana helpfully transformed a portion of one of the walls into a mirror so her friend wouldn't strain his neck trying to see it.

"Whoa!" he breathed, shocked. "That's one heck of a birthmark!"

Indeed it was. Nearly all of the young man's back was marked with this unusual anomaly. Unlike a normal birthmark -which contains an excess of melanin at the site- this mark had an absence, making it an almost pearly white. Most interestingly, the mark was formed in the image of a dragon- and a very familiar dragon at that.

"Blue-Eyes?" Seto breathed, staring at the reflection of his back in increasing awe. "I have a birthmark that's shaped like _Blue-Eyes_?!"

"Well, that _does_ make sense, kinda." Hana answered, more than a little surprised herself. "Your Ka _is_ the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, after all." Then she came to a realization. "Maybe _that's_ why your back was stinging. Ryushiro was mad about all of the scars that covered up his mark. He was angry that his Ba was hurt."

"You think?" Seto asked, surprised. He didn't think that a Ka would have an emotional attachment to its Ba. "Huh." Then he also came to a realization. "Kisara doesn't have a mark on her back like this, though. At least, not that I know of." Seto argued. "I've never heard of someone's Ka showing up on their body like a tattoo."

"Me neither." Hana shrugged. "I could ask Mana or master Mahaad if they've ever heard of something like this, but something tells me they won't know either." she frowned, wishing she knew what this was so that she could reassure her friend.

"Well I can't go out in public like _this_ either." Seto growled. "I _guess_ I could tell people it's a tattoo, but- what would Mokuba think?"

Just when he'd said this, the mark on his back began to glow with a soft white light, then faded and darkened to the same color as the rest of his back. Hana's eyebrows disappeared into her hair at this, and Seto's did as well.

"Now that's just weird." Seto stated in confusion and Hana nodded, not knowing what to say. "I guess I should've expected that, though. For us, weird _is_ normal." he added with a snort.

Hana snorted too. "Yeah. You're right. In fact, I'd be surprised if there _wasn't_ something weird going on with _someone_ from our friend group. 'Weird' is par for the course."

"You said it." Seto agreed with a smirk, then turned away from the mirror and looked at his chest. What he saw surprised him. "You did my legs and arms too? I didn't ask you to do that."

Hana shrugged. "You came in today for some 'scar reduction' surgery. I just assumed you meant all of them. Not just the ones on your back and chest." she answered, waving off his thanks as nothing. "That's what you do for a friend." then she walked back over to the counter and picked up her Gatorade. "My energy's getting low again. Time to refuel before my next patient comes in."

Seto smiled at her choice of words, then grabbed his jeans and T-shirt and pulled them on, since the 'surgery' was completed. He draped his jacket over his arm, as he wouldn't need it anymore. It was a nice mid-August day outside. Not a cloud in the sky.

Once he'd finished, he looked over at his friend -who was recording the procedure in his medical chart- and rubbed his neck awkwardly. He'd never done this before, and he wasn't exactly sure how to do it now.

"Are- are you- doing anything later today? Like, this evening?" he asked quietly, and somehow Hana heard it.

"I've gotta work late today." she answered. "I get off at 4 from here, then I've gotta go straight to the museum to guide tours until like 10." she rolled her eyes for his benefit, but he knew that she enjoyed working there. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Seto answered, still feeling awkward. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to come with us to what is supposedly the most haunted building in this part of Japan." he shrugged. "Seth and Kisara are going, Mokie's coming- heck, I think even _Akefia_ said he would go." he grinned.

Hana laughed. "Oh, what a fun party _you_ guys'll make." She could just imagine what their evening would be like. "I _wish_ I could come, but I can't. Duty calls, you know."

Seto nodded -a little disappointed- but not allowing it to show on his face. He stood up from the exam table, thanked Hana for all her help, handed a check to the receptionist, then left the clinic to go hang out with his brothers in KaibaLand.

* * *

When Seto arrived at the amusement park and spotted his brothers, he smirked. Mokuba had persuaded Seth to accompany him on one of the roller coasters, and the former pharaoh looked like he was having the time of his life. Mokuba had predictably chosen the front car, and was grinning from ear-to-ear and putting his hands up as they went up and down the hills and corkscrews. Beside him, Seth was mirroring his actions, grinning as Seto had never seen before.

A light touch on his arm made Seto start in surprise and look down, but then his shock turned to a gentle smile as he saw who had joined him. "They look like they're enjoying themselves, don't they?" Kisara asked with a smile, and Seto nodded. "I'd say that's an understatement." he chuckled. Then he looked around him. "Where's Noah and your brother?" he asked the young woman, and she pointed to the coaster that Seto had been watching. "They're right behind Seth and Mokuba. Didn't you see them?" Seto looked back at the ride and saw that his sister-in-law was right. How had he missed the mane of bushy white hair behind his twin?

"Huh. Didn't know Akefia liked roller coasters." the brunette commented, and Kisara giggled. "Noah dared him to go on it with him. I don't think Ryou likes those rides much, so Otouto didn't have any idea what to expect from it."

"So you're saying that this is the first roller coaster he's ever been on?" Seto smirked. "For your first time, 'White Lightning' is a bit much. Hope he doesn't throw up on anybody up there."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine." Kisara answered with a smile. "He's got a pretty strong stomach. And he's quite the daredevil to boot. I'm more worried about how Seth will fare on this ride."

"You mean it's _his_ first ride too?" Seto asked incredulously, and Kisara nodded, looking a tad worried. _Nice one, Mokie! Little prankster_ _._ _That's my_ _kid_ _brother for ya!_ he praised the boy mentally. "Eh, he'll be fine. You just have to look at his face to tell that. He's having the time of his life up there." he smirked fondly, glad that his brothers (and brother-in-law Akefia) were enjoying themselves.

"I kinda wish I could join them, but I've got _this_ kid to worry about." Kisara sighed fondly, cradling her bulging womb affectionately with one hand.

Seto smiled at her fondly, immensely proud that he was going to be an uncle very soon. And judging by how far along Kisara was, the Kaiba family would be gaining another member any day now.

"So is it gonna be a boy or girl?" he asked with a sly grin, and Kisara returned the smile, though hers looked shy. "We don't know. Seth and I decided we wanted to find out the old-fashioned way. But I hope it's a boy. My little prince. Seth thinks it'll be a girl, of course. A perfect clone of me. His little snow-angel." she laughed. "Akefia agrees with me. He thinks it will be a boy, too."

"I wonder what its Ka will be." Seto mused aloud after a minute. "I mean, both of its parents have Blue-Eyes as their Ka. Will it be another dragon, or something totally different?"

Kisara shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'll ask Mahaad one of these days. He spent 5,000 years in the Dominion after all, where our Ka live. Perhaps he can tell us something about it."

"Maybe." Seto agreed with her, then put on his little brother's favorite smile and braced himself as the black-haired blur tackled him around the waist.

"Hey bro! You're here!" Mokuba greeted enthusiastically as he gave his brother a bear-hug. "How'd your appointment go? You're- you're wearing short sleeves? What about your sc-?" he trailed off as he gasped, and Seto's smile grew wider as his little brother figured out the truth. " _That's_ what it was about? Why it took so long?" Seto just nodded and grinned even wider. "Today I'm a normal teenager, Mokie. And normal teens can wear jeans and T-shirts on a day out with their families."

Mokuba's smile seemed in danger of splitting his face right in half, it was so wide. Seth approached the group within a minute, taking a slower but more practical pace than his excitable little brother. He lifted Kisara into the air and twirled her around, then set her down gently and kissed her on the mouth. Just a short, sweet kiss. Nothing too passionate, as they were in a public setting.

"Aw! That is so _cute_!" a pair of girls squealed from somewhere close by. Both hikari and yami looked around in surprise, and their eyes fell on two young women cosplaying as the Dark Magician Girl and Dark Witch. They were clearly fans. Seth smiled sheepishly, but put an arm around his wife's shoulders in a protective manner. You could never be too careful when fangirls were around. Fortunately for the young family, the girls weren't fans of the 'rabid' variety and merely dissolved into giggle-fits and quiet squeals of "Kawaii!" before running off in bashfulness.

Seto just shook his head in exasperation, then looked up as their other two family members walked up and joined them. Noah was grinning from ear-to-ear, but the slightly glazed look in Akefia's eyes and the greenish hue of his face suggested otherwise for the former King of Thieves. Seth took one look at his brother-in-law's face, then removed his lunch from a paper bag and quickly handed the bag to the young man. Just in time too, as Akefia's breakfast came back up to say 'Hello'. Kisara patted her brother's back awkwardly.

"Least you waited till after the ride." Noah commented, and Akefia glared at him after he'd cleaned off his mouth.

"Yeah yeah, never mind that." the young man growled. "Did I fulfill your silly dare?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his purplish-blue eyes. He was clearly plotting his revenge.

"Yeah, I guess that counts." Noah conceded with a shrug. Then he squawked when Akefia started pulling him over to another one of the rides without warning. "Brilliant! Now it's _my_ turn!" the thief grinned.

"Uh oh. I think Noah's in trouble now." Seto snickered as he bit his bottom lip, struggling not to laugh out loud and somehow succeeding. Barely.

"Well, look who it is!" a friendly laugh came from somewhere near the happy family. Everyone spun around at the sound, then smiled in surprise as everyone's favorite Dark Magician walked up, dressed as his Ka. His outfit was so realistic that Seto couldn't tell if it was just a costume or the real armor. [It's totally the real thing. Because why not?]

"Hey, Mahaad!" Mokuba waved, and the magician smiled at him in response. He inclined his head in a small bow to the rest of the group, as two of them were very old friends and the other was his employer. "I didn't know _you_ were working here!" the boy continued.

Mahaad chuckled. "I have to keep my skills up somehow. What better way to practice my arts of illusion and misdirection than by entertaining the masses?" he asked rhetorically, not waiting for an answer. "My audience need not know that I am using real magic and not just sleight of hand. You know what they say, 'A magician never reveals his secrets'!" At this he winked very deliberately at Seto, who was forcibly reminded of his duel with Yugi and Yami on Pegasus' castle in Duelist Kingdom. Yami had used that same quote. In response to the trip down memory lane, Seto rolled his eyes at the spellcaster.

"Speaking of entertainment," Seto interrupted their amusement for a moment. "Don't you have another show to prepare for?"

"I still have about 15 minutes." Mahaad shrugged, then he winked again. "It's not like I have to do much to 'prepare'. My lovely assistant -on the other hand- spends the entire 'down time' between shows practicing her spells." he laughed, shaking his head fondly at the thought of what his favorite student could be 'practicing' at the moment.

Seth laughed too. "I'm sure she does. She only really got serious about her magic after you- died." he paused, lost in thought. "In fact, in Duel Monsters, that's probably why someone's 'Dark Magician Girl' gains 300 extra Attack points for a 'Dark Magician' in their Graveyard. Maybe it's alluding to your pasts."

"That is very possible, old friend." Mahaad nodded. "Duel Monsters _is_ the reincarnation -if you will **-** of the ancient Shadow Games. And the Shadows don't forget." he stated sagely.

"Um-" Kisara began shyly, but then lost her nerve and fell silent when the powerful mage turned to her.

"You don't need to be shy, Lady Kisara. You may ask me anything you like." Mahaad invited, and Kisara found her courage again.

"While we're on the subject of Duel Monsters, or -more specifically- Ka, is there any way to tell what a person's Ka will be before they are born? Or is it up to chance?" she asked, looking at her sandal-clad feet and not meeting the magician's gaze.

"You wish to know what the Ka of the child will be." Mahaad guessed, slightly surprised at the question. Kisara nodded, and Seth put an arm around her shoulders again and gave her a gentle side-hug. Mahaad cupped his chin in his hand and lowered his head so he was looking at the ground, closing his eyes in thought. After a few minutes he looked back up, smiling wryly.

"Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to that question." he replied, and Kisara's face fell slightly. It might have been nice to know the form the baby's Ka would take, just to have a little forewarning. "Every case is unique. Just as no two human beings on this Earth are exactly the same, so too are Ka. The child may house the spirit of yet another Blue-Eyes White Dragon, or the Ka may not be a dragon at all. It is a complete mystery. And we won't know until the child is ready."

"Which will be in a matter of days." Mokuba grinned widely -beaming at the happy mother- who smiled back warmly at her little brother-in-law.

"What do you mean, 'when the child's ready'?" Seto asked, confused. "Does that mean when it's born? Or later?"

"It's impossible to say." Mahaad answered simply. "Back in Egypt, I had heard of some Ka revealing themselves within a child's soul mere weeks after their birth, and yet others would take years to make themselves known. Actually, a manifested Ka was quite a rare occurrence. Most did not manifest at all. And by 'manifest', I mean 'take on a physical form'. Lady Kisara was the only 'ordinary citizen' I knew of who could summon her Ka at will. The only others were myself and my fellow priests -and the Pharaoh and prince- and we had to train most strenuously for _years_ to summon our Ka to this world using our DiaDhanks."

"I guess the Millennium Items helped with that." Mokuba commented, and Mahaad nodded. "Indeed they did. They made it easier to summon our Ka, but the Millennium Items themselves take a strong heart to command. They cannot be wielded by any ordinary man or woman. They have to be- 'special'."

"Some moreso than others." Seth added, giving Mahaad a knowing look.

Mahaad chuckled again. "Yeah. My Ring was especially dark. It was second only to the Rod in terms of the Shadows that it contained. Were it not for the strength of my heart, I would have been consumed by the darkness long ago. Like my master before me."

"The previous Bearer of the Millennium Ring." Seth growled, his mind 5,000 years in the past. "I never liked him either. There was something about him that didn't seem right. Like the Shadows had taken his soul and replaced it with darkness. Yet he still lived."

Mahaad shrugged. "That's what the Shadows can do to a weak mind and heart. It's either that or they tear your soul to pieces and scatter it across Duat for all eternity." he told them grimly, and Mokuba shuddered. He never wanted to play a Shadow Game. Of course, with _his_ crazy life, you never knew _what_ would happen.

"It's no picnic, I can tell ya that much." Seto commented, correctly reading the look on his brother's face. It must have been pretty obvious what he was thinking about. "I'm actually secretly glad I didn't have to duel Marik in Battle City. That guy was _nuts_."

"You said it." Kisara agreed with a grimace. Everyone looked at her in surprise, as they hadn't known she'd ever met Malik's dark side, at least not before he and Dark Seto had kidnapped her and Noah [See 'Brothers in Time']. "From what I _did_ see of him in Battle City through my Ka's eyes, he was certainly a cracked walnut. And that's putting it mildly."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, my lady." Mahaad added, remembering his own observations about the psychopath. "He was certainly cruel to his Rare Hunters. Tempting them with empty promises so they would defeat master Yugi or my Pharaoh, then savagely breaking them when they inevitably lost the duel. Believe it or not, I actually felt sorry for Arkana."

"You did?" Seto asked, remembering the Dark Magician user that had hacked into his system to authorize an illegal Duel Disk and network. Mahaad nodded. "I could understand where he was coming from- to an extent. Separated from his true love by a horrible accident that wasn't his fault, searching for her for years but never finding her, fighting his hardest for the chance to see her again-" he trailed off, the subject becoming too personal for him. So he decided to change the subject. "Speaking of magicians, you guys should come see our show. I assure you, you won't be disappointed."

Mahaad had spoken the truth. The show was a rousing success, and the two spellcasters in disguise had to take several curtain-calls because of the raucous applause and standing ovation. Mokuba clapped louder than anyone else, thinking, _I always forget that 'Dark Magician' is actually a_ _**magician**_ _, not just a Duel Monster. He's capable of far more than just battling for his duelist. And that thing where Mana turned herself into doves was really cool!_

* * *

As the sun began to set in the west, the family of six (almost seven) decided it was time to head to the next portion of their 'fun day', the old mansion on the outskirts of Domino City. It was reported to be the most haunted building in this area of Japan, though no one had been able to prove this. Everyone was eager to explore it for themselves. Even Kisara was excited. However, Noah didn't like the idea of lingering spirits, so he decided to stay home while the others went on their 'adventure'.

As the group of five left Domino City, they noticed dark thunderclouds gathering in the sky above them- almost as if the weather knew where they were going and was warning them to stay away. On the edge of town, the mansion was surrounded by a 10-foot wall made of stone and a wrought-iron gate that was painted pitch black. The lock on the gate had long since rusted through, and the doors swung freely on their hinges with grating, screeching noises. Slightly unnerved, Seth led the way up the cobblestone path up to the house, his family trailing close behind him and Seto bringing up the rear.

The grass on either side of the pathway was terribly overgrown and looked dead, though it was only the middle of August. However, there was no grass present between the stones of the path, as if someone -or some _thing_ \- kept the path weeded. The front porch was made of rich mahogany, but it was old and creaky like the iron gate. Seth carefully approached the solid oak door and tried the doorknob, which was shaped like a lion's head. To his surprise it was unlocked, and the former High Priest slowly pushed the door open, wincing at all the squeaking that accompanied it.

Seto took one look inside and summed the house up in three words: "What a mess."

The others nodded as they gazed upon the ancient foyer. They could tell it had once been an impressive, stately mansion, but decades could have passed since anyone lived here. Tarnished suits of armor flanked either side of a long, blood-red, moldy-looking carpet that stretched all the way from the front door to the double doors at the other end of the room. Cobweb-covered crystal chandeliers hung every few feet from the ceiling, and they looked like they had once held candles as a light source. The moldy drapes that hung in front of the windows looked more like slices of Swiss cheese than curtains, they were so riddled with holes.

An unseasonably cold breeze suddenly blew between the five group members, and all of them shivered in response. Mokuba was particularly unnerved by this, and he asked the others in a quavering voice, "Does anybody else get the feeling that we're not alone here?" He wrapped his arms around himself as a form of self-protection and shivered again. "I feel like there's something- watching us."

Akefia looked around warily. "It's not just you, kid. I've felt weird since we entered the gate. There _is_ another presence here. What bothers me is that I cannot tell if it is evil or benign."

"Hopefully it's the latter." Kisara whispered, thoroughly unnerved.

Just then a crash of thunder _boom_ ed outside, causing all five of the guests to jump and Kisara and Mokuba to squeak in fright. Seto and Seth froze like statues, anticipating an invisible attack any moment now. Akefia -who had some experience with lingering spirits- was able to sense the faint outline of something standing ten feet away from them, in the middle of the crimson carpet.

* * *

End of chapter 1

Next chapter teaser: Haunted

I know. Cliche cliffhanger is cliche. But I had to end the chapter there or it would've gotten _way_ too long!

I got the stuff in the hospital from my own experiences working as a medical assistant in a pediatric facility. I had to take people's vitals all the time. Among other things. And I got Seto's height from Wikipedia.

Kisara's just days away from having her baby! I'm so excited! Squee!

Now I wanna ride on that Blue-Eyes coaster in Kaiba Land. (Or _any_ coaster, for that matter) I'm so bored! I need a vacation.

Hey, I finally got one of these out in time for a special birthday! Happy Birthday, Seto!

Seto: Thanks. I guess the healing in this chapter was your gift, huh?

Me: Uh, yeah. Sure. You can look at it that way. I guess. Even though I've had this chapter written for a lot longer than that.

See you later!

Tsunami Storm


	2. Haunted

Prince of Egypt, a YuGiOh! fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 2: Haunted

* * *

 _Just then a crash of thunder_ _ **boom**_ _ed outside, causing all five of the guests to jump and Kisara and Mokuba to squeak in fright. Seto and Seth froze like statues, anticipating an invisible attack any moment now. Akefia_ _-_ _who had some experience with lingering spirits_ _-_ _was able to sense the faint outline of something standing ten feet away from them, in the middle of the crimson carpet._

" _Who disturbs my domain?"_ an eerie, echoing voice sounded and reverberated through the room, causing everyone to shiver again and tense up. Seto was the first to find his voice.

"We're just guests." he answered bravely, not a trace of shaking in his voice. "We didn't mean to wake you."

The mysterious voice seemed amused. _"You_ _**do**_ _know the phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat', right?"_ it asked -losing most of its eerie quality- and Seto smirked. "No, _stupidity_ killed the cat. Curiosity was framed." he replied, and the ghostly voice laughed. _"Good one. I enjoy having guests with a sense of humor."_ Now the voice sounded almost friendly.

The spectral outline that Akefia had seen slowly grew more visible, manifesting before all five of the living souls in the room. Kisara gasped softly in surprise. The spirit took the form of a boy not too much older than Mokuba. He looked like he had bronze spiky hair, cerulean blue eyes, and a thin, kind face. His smile was gentle and just a little shy as he greeted them. _"Welcome to my haunt."_ he bowed low and the guests nodded back, still a little suspicious. _"My name's Bret. It's nice to meet you."_

"Likewise." Seto answered. Then he gestured to the group. "This is my family. My brothers, Seth and Mokuba; Seth's wife, Kisara; and her brother, Akefia. My name's Seto. Seto Kaiba." Each nodded as they were introduced, and Bret bowed again. _"I'd shake your hand in a proper greeting, but that's not really possible. I can't touch anything_ _o_ _n the physical plane. Let me tell you, it's beyond annoying."_ he made a face and laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Suddenly he recognized the name of one of the guests. _"Wait. Seto Kaiba? As in the President of Kaibacorp.?"_ he asked, surprised.

Seto nodded, surprised that the ghost had heard of him. "The same."

 _"Huh."_ the spirit answered. _"It's not every day I get celebrity visitors. I'll have to think of something special."_ he grinned, looking excited.

Seto smiled and shook his head. "Nah. You don't have to. It's actually kinda refreshing to be treated just like everybody else." at the boy's slightly crestfallen look, he shrugged. "But if you really want to, that's fine too."

Bret smiled, then turned around and floated through the doors at the end of the hall, waving at the group to follow him. The group eventually followed -though still a bit wary- opening the doors to the next room.

"Wow." Seto and Mokuba gasped at the same time. They had lived in a mansion of their own for ten years*, and even _they_ were impressed at the sight of the front room. Two curved staircases of rich mahogany led up to the second level, and a plethora of priceless antique paintings hung on the walls. The lone crystal chandelier in the room was enormous, its countless prisms twinkling innocently in the shafts of moonlight that were streaming in through the door-sized window at the top of the staircase.

" _Yeah, I guess it's pretty impressive when you see it for the first time."_ Bret shrugged nonchalantly, sounding bored. _"You get sick of it after a while. Especially after you've heard all of the bloody history of this house."_

"Bloody history?" Akefia asked, looking intrigued. This was getting interesting.

Bret grimaced. _"Yeah. You've probably heard the rumors that this mansion's haunted. Well, those rumors are all too true. If_ _ **I'm**_ _any indication."_ he glared at nothing in particular as he spoke. _"Supposedly this mansion was built by an immensely_ _wealthy lord. I don't know exactly what time period, but it was at_ _**least**_ _100_ _years ago. He was entranced with the architecture of English nobles, and so built his house to model their designs. Hence all the suits of clearly_ _ **European** armor in the entrance hall."_ he paused, looking down at his feet, and somehow all of his guests got the feeling they wouldn't like the next part of the boy's story.

" _This lord was known for his greed and jealousy."_ Bret continued. _"He was obsessed with protecting this house and his possessions from any and all who would dare try to take it from him. His paranoia got so bad that he would slaughter even visitors who approached his house, so consumed was he by greed. And that greed and paranoia didn't disappear with his death. His spirit still haunts this house, killing any innocent foolish enough to wander in here uninvited. And so too do the spirits of his many victims over the years, including those killed when he was alive. They_ _'re_ _ **all**_ _murderous._ _Save one."_

Kisara gasped. "Is that why you're here? Were you one of-" she began, but then broke off when she realized her question was very insensitive.

Bret smiled at her, looking torn between sadness and amusement. _"You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings, ma'am. I'm already dead, and I've accepted that. It doesn't hurt anymore to talk about it."_ Despite his calm words, he looked down at the floor again with a sorrowful expression as he resumed his tale.

" _To answer your question, I_ _**was**_ _one of_ _the_ _victims._ _The_ _**last**_ _, to be precise. But that's not the main reason that I'm here. None of the souls in this mansion are allowed to leave_ - _or 'pass on' if you will_ \- _but I would've stayed even if that weren't the case. I have to protect my little sister. That's what big brothers are for."_

At these words, Seto felt his respect for the young ghost rising. That was indeed what older brothers are supposed to do: Protect their younger siblings that were born later. [Bleach reference! W00t!]

"Exactly how many spirits are stuck in this house?" Akefia asked, eyes darting around as if expecting a spirit to pop out of a wall at any moment. This place was worse than his 'Dark Sanctuary' field spell card.

" _Including me, there's_ _999_ _."_ Bret answered with another grimace. Akefia's jaw dropped. _"And out of all of us, I'm the_ _**only**_ _one who's a 'Casper', if you know what I mean. The others_ - _"_ he shuddered suddenly. _"You don't wanna know. Trust me."_

Seth, Kisara and Akefia all looked confused at the name 'Casper', and Mokuba explained. "It's the name of a friendly ghost from a movie of the same name. One of the only supernatural movies around with a 'good' ghost." Then he looked back at Bret. "You said you were the only 'friendly' ghost here? Then all the others are like his three uncles?" [If any of you lovely readers know of any other supernatural movies with a 'friendly' ghost, do tell! I _love_ those kinds of movies!]

Bret tilted his head from side to side. _"Close. Picture the 'Ghostly Trio' at their absolute_ _**worst**_ , _then multiply_ _ **that**_ _by_ _100_ _. That's what you'd get from the_ _**tamest**_ _of the others here."_ he explained, and Mokuba gulped nervously.

Bret smiled at him. _"My thoughts exactly. But you don't have to worry. I'll protect you from them. With my afterlife, if need be."_ he vowed resolutely, turning around and glaring at the door behind him, as if expecting it to burst open. _"I already protect my sister every night, so five more living souls for a few h_ _ours_ _shouldn't be a problem."_ he smiled confidently, then turned around abruptly with a completely different expression on his face. Now he was just looking innocently curious. _"Speaking of my sister, where is she?"_ he asked, but no one had an answer for him.

"And your sister is who, exactly?" Seto asked, and Bret smiled. _"Her name's Hanna Sierra, but you'd probably know her better by her 'nom de voyage': Itonami Hana."_

Everyone gasped at this shocking revelation, as they'd had no idea that Hana ever had a different name or that she'd had an older brother once.

Eventually it was Seto that recovered first and broke the silence. "She's at the museum. She told me she had to work late tonight." he explained, and Bret visibly relaxed. _"Oh, good. I was afraid something had happened to her. You can never be too careful."_

Seto nodded, knowing just how he felt. He felt exactly the same about his own younger sibling.

Sensing the questions in everyone's eyes, Bret sighed and explained. _"My story is a long one, and it doesn't have a happy ending. Then again, I suppose most people's stories don't have happy endings. The best they can be is bittersweet."_ he realized with a dejected scowl. Then he continued.

" _I had a fairly standard childhood. Born and raised in America with two great parents and a lovable little sister who you could never stay mad at for long. I've been Hanna's 'guardian' for as long as I can remember- in that I always looked out for her and protected her. When I was_ _17_ _and Hanna_ _15_ _, our family decided to vacation in Japan_ _-_ _as it was one of the places Mom had always wanted to visit. We_ _'_ _d be there for a week to take in the sights and the fascinating culture and history."_ Bret smiled wryly at this, lost in the memory. _"It was_ _ **supposed**_ _to be a fun time for all of us. Little did we know that one of us wouldn't be going home."_ he looked down, and the guests could tell they were coming to the tragic part.

" _Hanna and I were both a bit reckless, and we decided to explore a cool-looking mansion just outside of the city we were staying in. Aka_ _**this**_ _city. Domino."_ he winked, and the group smiled. _"Mom and Dad were going to be looking in the museum, but Hanna wasn't interested in that at all at the time, so I decided to go with her to check out the 'haunted mansion on the hill'. Mom and Dad decided I was old enough and responsible enough to go off on my own, so they let us do what we wanted._

" _I immediately felt uneasy when we stepped over the threshold of the front door. Something didn't seem right about this house. I guess Hanna didn't feel anything, 'cause she just kept walking forward between the suits of armor. Still on_ _edge, I followed her._

" _That's when it happened."_ Bret frowned, and the group braced themselves in unison. _"Hanna passed in front of a suit of armor with a giant halberd and studied it, admiring the gleaming silver armor as it caught the light from the windows. I heard an almost_ _soundless squeak, and the halberd started to fall. Hanna was paralyzed with shock and couldn't move. I only had one chance. I didn't want to lose my little sister. She had so much left to live for! So I dove in front of her and tackled her out of the way."_

Kisara gasped -knowing what was coming- and Bret smiled at her sadly. _"I wasn't fast enough. Hanna came away from the event unscathed_ - _well, almost. I think she had a few bruises after I tackled her_ \- _but I wasn't so lucky. The halberd caught me right in the chest."_ he thumped his fist into his chest -thumb facing outward- to show them where the weapon had hit him. _"Right over my heart. I never had a chance."_ he looked away for a moment, then smiled sheepishly. _"Sorry for the gory details."_ he apologized, but everyone was too stunned to notice. In any case, they'd heard and seen worse before. _"Anyway, I heard Hanna scream my name, and I remember looking up at her face as I lay on the then_ _-_ _gray rug, my head on her lap. She was crying, and her tears were mixing with all the blood on the floor. My last words to her were 'I'll always be with you'. Then everything went black."_

Everyone gasped in horror. "Th- that rug was _gray_ before?" Mokuba asked, horrified at the young spirit's tale.

" _Yeah. It was stained red with my blood. The whole thing."_ Bret grimaced, walking a few paces over to the door from which they had come. _"If you go back in there in the daytime and look at the middle suit of armor on the right side, you can still see some dried blood on its halberd and a slightly darker circle of red in the rug. That's where I died."_ He sighed. _"Hanna was never the same after that day, and neither were our parents. Grief is a powerful thing. It can even drive a person mad sometimes. I guess that's why_ - _even after all these years_ \- _Hanna_ _ **still**_ _can't see me. She doesn't know I stayed."_ he looked down, his expression full of sorrow again. _"I promised I would never leave her. That I'd always protect her. And I intend to keep that promise. Even if it means sticking around until Judgement Day."_ he stated resolutely, determination burning in his eyes like real flames.

"What happened to your family?" Akefia asked, stricken by the tragic story, but also curious as to how it ended. Bret smiled slightly and answered after a minute. _"Mom and Dad cut the vacation short_ - _of course_ \- _and returned home to America. Hanna went back to school after a_ _bout a_ _week, Dad went back to work, and Mom went back to being a housewife and mother_ _-_ _now to only one child. When Hanna was_ _18_ _she started college. I can't remember the university or what she was studying, but that was when she m_ _et-_ _Hana."_ he recounted, faltering a bit when he mentioned his sister's yami. _"This may sound strange, but I haven't seen my sister since then._ _ **Hana's**_ _always the one who's in control. I don't know what happened to my little sister."_ A transparent tear ran down his face and dropped to the marble floor. _"As far as I know, Mom and Dad are still living in America. I don't know what's become of them either. I hope they're all right."_ he finished, looking worried as he stared at his feet.

Everyone was speechless as the teenage spirit finished his tragic story, looking at each other with devastated expressions. That was almost as bad as when they had seen the Holocaust museum and the horrors it depicted in artifacts and black-and-white photos.

Bret was the one who broke the silence. _"So technically, I'm supposed to be_ _22_ _at this point, since my little sister's_ _20_ _and I'm exactly two years older than her. And I do mean_ _**exactly**_ _. We have the same birthday. Same hour, same minute, just two years apart. The only difference is that I was born on a Friday and Hanna was born on a Monday."_ he chuckled, and the visitors cracked small smiles.

"That's rare." Mokuba commented after a minute. "I've never met anyone with the same birthday as their sibling who wasn't a twin."

" _Yeah, it_ _**is**_ _rare."_ Bret agreed. _"I've never met anyone else like us either."_

"You said something before about protecting your sister every night." Akefia began, and Bret turned to him. "Does that mean that Hana lives _here_? In this run-down old dump?" He didn't mean to sound so blunt, but that's how it came out.

Bret chuckled. _"Yeah. She modified a couple rooms to suit her."_ He pointed to the door behind him. _"That's the kitchen in that room_ _-_ _fully functional and suitable for use_ _-_ _then it has a fully-equipped bathroom through one door and a moderately comfortable bedroom through the other door. Those are the only three rooms in this mansion that get used. Don't even ask about the state of the others."_ he warned them with a laugh and a mock grimace, and just like that the mood in the room brightened considerably.

"Why does Hana live here? When she _knows_ it's haunted?" Seto asked himself, but Bret heard it anyway and answered. _"I've been asking myself that question too. Maybe Hanna still has some influence on a subconscious level and strongly suggested that they live here. I don't know why she'd choose_ _ **this**_ _place, though. I've tried to get her to move ou_ _t -_ _to choose another home that's a billion times better than this one-_ _but she can't see or hear me. Well, I think_ _**Hana**_ _can sometimes, but Hanna's being really stubborn about the matter and refuses to move."_ he amended, looking thoughtful.

"Maybe she's punishing herself." Seto suggested quietly, though everyone heard it due to the echoes in the room. "She feels guilty for your death and thinks it was her fault, so she's living in the place where you died as a constant reminder."

" _That's so stupid!"_ Bret shouted angrily, startling his guests. Up to this point he had been fairly mild-mannered. _"It wasn't her fault at all!_ _**I**_ _was the one who jumped in front of her! It was all_ _**me**_ _! It's not like she pulled me into the path of that halberd!"_ he raged, but his ire was not directed at anyone present. _"If it's_ _**anyone's**_ _fault, it's that stupid lord! Why doesn't he just go to Hell already?"_ he growled, then his eyes went wide and he clapped a hand over his mouth at what he'd said. _"I'm sorry."_ he apologized quickly. _"You weren't supposed to hear that. I don't know what came over me. I_ _**never**_ _used that kind of language when I was alive. Please forgive my thoughtlessness."_

Seto shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I've heard much worse, believe me." then he looked at the specter with a suspicious look. "You seem like a pretty nice kid, so what was with that whole mysterious _'Who disturbs my domain'_ act?"

Bret laughed again, glad for the change of topic. _"Just as you said. It was an act. Adds a little suspense. And a little fear now and then is supposed to be good for you."_

Kisara giggled as well. "I think you may have overdone it a bit." she told him, and the boy grinned somewhat sheepishly. _"I'll try to remember that next time. I appreciate any feedback I can get. Most people just run away from me screaming."_

"Then why do it?" Seth asked, confused.

" _It's sort of a test. If they get scared of_ _**me**_ _, they don't stand a_ _**ghost**_ _of a chance against the others that haunt this mansion. It's for their own good."_ Bret explained, crossing his arms for emphasis, but then relaxed them after about a minute. He smiled again, the light of laughter returned to his eyes. _"You guys are the first guests in quite a while that have passed my test. It's nice to have somebody new to talk to who won't scream in my face. I may be dead, but I can still be hurt emotionally. It's not very nice, to get screamed at and run away from."_

Seto nodded, imagining what that must feel like. Usually people didn't run _away_ from him, but toward him. If they were fans. But he could see where the boy was coming from.

From somewhere outside, the five humans and one ghost heard the howling of a wolf, and Bret offered to escort them out of the mansion to their own home as a safety precaution. Everyone was surprised by this, as they had thought that he was bound to the place in which he died.

" _Normally that_ _**is**_ _the case."_ he answered with a smile. _"But I'm a little different. The other 'earthbound spirits' in this house can't leave, but I can. Dunno why."_

"Maybe it's because you're not haunting the _house_ , but a _person_. You stayed to protect your sister. She's become your 'obsession', as they say." Mokuba interjected thoughtfully, and Bret raised his eyebrows slightly, having never considered that possibility. _"That could be."_ he answered in agreement. Then he floated through the double doors behind the group and everyone filed out behind him, glad to be leaving the unnerving abode- though none of them were willing to admit it.

* * *

Bret accompanied the young family through town, looking appreciatively at all the sights that Domino City had to offer. He spotted the Kaibacorp. building in the center of town and grinned at Seto and Mokuba, who smiled and nodded back. As they left downtown and made their way to the upper-class side of the city, Bret's eyes grew increasingly wider as the sizes of the dwellings grew. By the time the family reached their house, the young ghost's jaw had dropped open.

Seto couldn't resist showing off a little. He sighed and smiled, "Ah. Home sweet home." as they walked through the gate that led to the mansion. Bret's jaw dropped to the sidewalk at this (metaphorically), and it took him a solid minute to stop gaping. _"Wow. You've done pretty well for yourself, Seto. I'm impressed."_

"With hard work and determination, you can accomplish just about anything." Seto agreed, a bit of pride leaking into his voice. Why _shouldn't_ he show off a bit? He'd started out at the very bottom of the social ladder -an orphan boy taking care of his baby brother- and now he was a corporate titan and one of the most important people in the whole city. He'd worked hard to get where he was now. He'd _earned_ it. No handouts on a silver platter for him. This company was _his_ now through blood, sweat and tears. Most of those his own.

" _Can't argue with that."_ Bret smiled and nodded. Just after he said this, Mokuba's watch beeped, indicating that midnight had arrived.

Suddenly Kisara gasped in pain and put a hand over her large abdomen. She looked at her husband and brothers with pain-filled, slightly apprehensive eyes. "Seth, it's time!"

* * *

End of chapter 2

Next chapter teaser: Arrival

Yep. Another cliffhanger. *ducks rotten tomatoes* Sorry!

Nice timing, baby. Right at the stroke of midnight.

*This is assuming that Seto was about nine when Gozaburo adopted him and Mokie from the orphanage.

Wow. Poor Bret! His story is so tragic! Now I wanna give him a big hug, but I can't. I'd just go right through him.

Bret: _That's okay. It's the thought that counts._

Me: Aww. You're so sweet! It's a good thing he has a good-natured sense of humor, though. Otherwise he'd probably have gone insane by now.

Bret: _Who says I haven't?_ *grins mischievously*

*I give him a look, then we both laugh* I take it back. He's _always_ been crazy. XD

Bret: _Hey!_

If you ever visit the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C., all I can say is that you better have a pretty strong heart and stomach. It's not for the faint of heart like me. [Or like I was in 9th grade, anyway.]

Kind of a short chapter compared to my other ones, huh? Ah well. I'm pretty sure the next one's longer.

See you there!

Tsunami Storm


	3. Arrival

Prince of Egypt, another long YuGiOh! story by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 3: Arrival

* * *

 _Suddenly Kisara gasped in pain and put a hand over her large abdomen. She looked at her husband and brothers with pain-filled, slightly apprehensive eyes. "Seth, it's time!"_

"What? Now?!" he gasped as well, his sapphire eyes wide with shock. Everyone present instantly tensed, and Akefia hissed, "Well, what are we standing around _here_ for? We have to get her to hospital, now!"

Seth nodded quickly, scooped up his pregnant wife bridal-style and raced after his twin, who had taken off toward the garage where their vehicles were parked. Seto summoned the keys to the black SUV -as that car was the only one big enough to fit all of them- and everyone piled in, Seto in the driver's seat and Akefia in the front. Mokuba and Noah climbed into the back and Seth and Kisara took the middle seats, the former Bearer cradling his wife as if his own life depended on it.

The family reached the hospital in record time, and Seto thanked his lucky stars that they hadn't been pulled over for speeding through town at 70 mph. Knowing the necessity for speed, the boys jumped out of the automobile and dashed to the doors- holding them open for Seth and Kisara, who both smiled in thanks. The receptionist took one look at Kisara, then led the family through the other doors at the end of the lobby to an appropriate room. Seto, Noah, Mokuba and Akefia were asked to wait outside the room in a row of chairs, and Seth carried Kisara into the room and set her on the bed, silently vowing never to leave her side through this, no matter what happened.

"What do we do now, Seto?" Mokuba asked his big brother, very confused and worried for his sister-in-law.

"Now we wait." the young man answered simply, putting his chin in his hands and his elbows on his knees. They could be here for a while.

"I _hate_ waiting!" Akefia growled mostly to himself, but everyone heard it. "They can't expect me to just _sit_ here! That's my _sister_!"

"You'll just have to deal with it." Seto answered, worried himself and snippy because of it. "Nobody else is allowed in a birth room with the mother except for the husband and the doctors. And perhaps a nurse, but that's it. We're _all_ worried, Akefia. But I've got a good feeling that everything's going to be fine. Kisara's strong. She'll make it."

"What about the baby?" Mokuba asked, and Seto smiled at him. "Both of its parents are strong people. The baby will be just fine. You'll see. You just have to have faith." _Jeez. Now I sound like Atem with all those speeches he gives. Guess he's rubbing off on me._ he thought to himself with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

Kisara had never been in so much pain in her entire life, in Egypt or this new one. She couldn't decide which was worse: the contractions that her own body was producing, or Nephthys roaring in her head and giving her a monstrous migraine. Seth was holding her right hand, bravely keeping a calm face as she squeezed his hand with all of her strength every time a contraction struck.

"That's it, Kisara. Deep breaths. You can do this." he encouraged, proud of how well she was doing for her first time. He'd always known she was strong, and this just proved it for everyone else.

"Seth- it- hurts!" the young mother-to-be gasped, tears in her eyes. "I know, my love. But it won't last long. You just have to keep calm and keep breathing." he smiled encouragingly, but there was worry behind his eyes.

"I- know. But- Nephthys- isn't- helping!" she gasped, managing an annoyed expression that made her husband smile. He sent a mental message to his own Ka -Reseph-Ari- to try to calm the dragon of the woman he loved. Within minutes Kisara's migraine lessened, and she gave Seth a weak smile of gratitude.

Another minute passed, and none other than Dr. Hana Itonami walked into the room in full uniform. She smiled warmly at her dear friends, then helped Kisara shift into the 'lithotomy' position, putting her feet into specialized 'stirrups' attached to the bed. She gave Kisara another warm smile of encouragement and Kisara smiled back weakly, indicating that she was ready to do whatever the young woman told her to do.

"On my mark, you push and I'll pull. I can see that the baby's facing the right way already, so we don't have to worry about any complications there. You ready?" Hana asked, and Kisara nodded, her face dripping with sweat and her snow-white hair plastered to her head. "Okay. One- Two- Three- PUSH!"

Kisara pushed with all her might, exerting an incredible amount of force in attempting to get her baby out of her womb and through the birth canal. She nearly broke a few bones in Seth's hand, so hard was she squeezing it. He winced, but she didn't see it. Hana carefully did her part as one of her closest friends did hers, pushing their infant son or daughter out of her body.

"I can see its head!" Hana told them, and Seth looked relieved. "You're almost there, Kisara! Just a couple more good pushes! Ready? And- NOW!"

Kisara strained to push a second time with all her might, and this time succeeded in pushing the baby's head and shoulders out. She was breathing hard in heaving gasps, and Seth carefully brushed her hair out of her eyes, desperate to help in any way he possibly could.

"Once more, Kisara! It's almost out!" Hana encouraged. "With me! Three- Two- One- GO!"

With a strained cry of pain, Kisara used her remaining strength to push the baby out, and with immeasurable relief, felt the baby's feet leave the birth canal. She'd done it! The baby was out! She heard her newborn's first cries, and smiled with immense joy at her beaming husband. The baby was okay, and sounded healthy!

Hana smiled in wonder at the tiny life that she now held in one arm as she carefully cut the umbilical cord from the baby's navel and cleaned off the area with a moist cloth. Then she cleared the blood and fluid from the baby's mouth and nose so it could breathe, and wiped off its face so the parents could see what their baby looked like. "Congratulations! It's a boy! A beautiful, healthy baby boy!"

Kisara's smile was so wide it was in danger of splitting her face in half. She sat up in the bed with Seth's help, and Hana carefully placed their newborn son into her arms. The family gazed upon their child in awed wonder, hardly believing their eyes at the miracle of life.

"He's so- tiny." Seth breathed, unable to speak above an awed whisper. He didn't want to wake up the newborn, who had fallen asleep after crying so loudly. "So- beautiful. My little prince."

"I guess Kefi and I were right after all, Seth." Kisara teased gently, still pretty exhausted from the birth. "It's a boy."

"Yeah, but Seth still gets his 'snow angel'." Hana put in, and the two parents looked up at her in confusion. "Look at his hair." she said with a smile.

"It's- it's white." Kisara gasped. "Just like mine." Then she gasped again. Something was definitely not normal with their baby. "Ah, Hana? Is this supposed to be happening? Our baby is- am I seeing things, or is he _glowing_?"

Kisara was right. Their newborn son seemed to be surrounded by a soft white aura, though it wasn't nearly bright enough to hurt anyone's eyes. Seth closed his own eyes and reached deep within himself, accessing his magical senses and spreading them outward. He sent a gentle, benign magical probe out from himself, trying to sense what could be causing this anomaly in their son. What he discovered made him gasp.

"What is it, Seth? Is something wrong?" Kisara asked him fearfully, dreading the worst.

After a moment her husband relaxed. "I didn't mean to worry you. That wasn't a gasp of horror, but of wonder. I searched within our son's soul and discovered something amazing. Our baby's Ka- is a dragon. None other than the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon."

Hana's jaw dropped and her eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. "Seriously? That's incredible! And that would explain the aura. I guess it makes sense. Both of his parents have Blue-Eyes White Dragons as their Ka. It fits that he would have a dragon too." she answered, looking at the baby with newfound wonder to add to her already awestruck gaze. Then she suddenly straightened up. "Whoops. Nearly forgot. The rest of the family probably wants to meet their newest addition." And with that she walked over to the door and pulled it open, sticking her head into the hallway.

"You guys can come in now, but try to be quiet, the baby's asleep." she grinned, and everyone's faces lit up with joy and varying degrees of excitement. They all filed into the room, and Hana closed the door behind them, walking to stand at the back of the room while the others crowded around Kisara's bed.

"He's beautiful!" Mokuba quietly exclaimed -beaming- and Kisara beamed back, feeling that she might burst with happiness. Akefia surprised everyone by putting a gentle hand on the baby's head, feeling the soft tufts of snow-white hair on his palm. "I couldn't have asked for a cuter nephew." he chuckled quietly, and everyone smirked in amusement. "Congratulations, Kisa. Seth."

The proud parents grinned at the former Thief King, and Seto smiled gently at his twin and sister-in-law. "Have you guys thought of a name?" he asked, and the couple looked at each other and smiled. "We have. We were brainstorming for weeks, even though we didn't know if we would have a son or daughter. We came up with several names for both outcomes." Seth began.

"But then Seth thought of a name that fits this kid perfectly. Almost as if the gods themselves sent it to us in a vision of the future." Kisara beamed. "Seto, Kefi, Noah, Mokuba, allow me to introduce youto the newest member of our family, Ramses Kaiba."

The younger two members' smiles grew wider in wonderment when they heard the name, and Seto nodded his approval. The young couple _would_ choose a name like that, as they were both from Egypt- and the name 'Ramses' was about as Egyptian as one could get.

"My little prince." Seth breathed, putting a hand on his son's head. "Ramses."

* * *

Meanwhile -in the Dominion of the Beasts- Nephthys was busy licking her hatchling clean mere moments after his birth. She didn't want him to poke himself in the eye with a shard of his eggshell. The newborn dragon just cooed in appreciation as his mother cleaned him, looking around at his new surroundings and squeaking a 'hello' to his father, Reseph-Ari. The father dragon looked down at his young with immeasurable pride. Finally, he and his mate had a child of their own- a true, flesh-and-blood heir. While it was true that both Nephthys and Reseph-Ari saw young Ryushiro as a son, he was not related to both of them by blood. He was the Ka of Seth's descendant. But now they had a son of their own and a little brother for Ryushiro, or nephew from their Ba's perspective.

" _What should we name him, my love?"_ Nephthys asked of her mate, whose proud smile at their offspring morphed into a look of deep contemplation.

" _Usually it is up to the Ba to give a name to their Ka, if they so wish. But the Ba of our son is also a newborn. Even if he_ _**could**_ _understand what we would ask of him, we would not be able to understand his response."_ Reseph-Ari explained to the mother, his blue eyes still fixed on their baby.

Just then, Ryushiro walked up to the family. _"Maybe_ _-_ _we'll have to wait a few years, until Ramses is old enough to understand."_ he suggested. _"That's what happened with me. I too grew up alongside my Ba."_

" _Yes you did. I remember."_ Reseph-Ari recalled, finally tearing his gaze from the newborn and shifting it to his 'adopted' son. He grinned. _"The both of you were so cute when you were little! And the both of you shot up so fast! It seem_ _s like_ _one day you didn't even come up to my_ _ **hip**_ _, and the next you were suddenly at eye-level with me!"_

Ryushiro rumbled a laugh from deep in his chest. _"Yeah. I remember that too. As my Ba would say, it was one doozy of a growth spurt."_ he grinned, showing most of his pearly white teeth to the other dragon, who snorted at how silly he looked. Some human facial expressions did not translate well to a dragon's face. Being grinned at by a dragon could be either hilarious or disconcerting, but most often it was the latter- seeing that many sharp teeth.

The baby squeaked a 'hello' to his 'big brother' too, and Ryushiro rumbled a fond greeting in response, nuzzling his head gently against the baby's cheek. The baby hummed in response, inexplicably beginning to glow just like his Ba in the human world. Ryushiro's eyes widened at this surprising occurrence, but then he smiled again. _So_ _**that's**_ _where Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon comes from. He's the offspring of two Blue-Eyes White Dragons._ he thought to himself.  [Where do BE _W_ D babies come from, you may ask? No clue. Maybe Horahkty just creates them. *shrugs*]

Continuing to smile at the youngest member of their growing family, Ryushiro thought at the newborn -even though he might not understand, _"Welcome to the family, little one. I'm Ryushiro, your 'big brother' and the Ka of your Ba's uncle, Seto Kaiba."_ He pointed a wing at the other two dragons, and the hatchling followed his movement -as if he did indeed understand what was happening. _"This is_ _Reseph-Ari_ \- _your father, and Nephthys_ \- _your mother. We're all so happy that you came into our lives."_ he thought at the young one, who squeaked cutely again in response, causing all three of the older dragons to smile.

Suddenly a few nearby bushes rustled from around the glade where the family was greeting their newest member, and all three older dragons growled threateningly at whatever or whomever dared to disturb them. Reseph-Ari switched positions with Nephthys so that he was closest to the 'intruder'- and so that he could protect his mate, young and adopted son from this new threat. Growling protectively, he willed the beginnings of a 'White Lightning' attack to form between his jaws.

However, the being that stepped into the clearing was not an enemy as they had suspected, but akin to a distant family member. None other than Critias himself walked into view, appearing in his true, human form and grinning from ear-to-ear at the sight of the family of dragons.

"I thought I sensed a new power in the Dominion." Critias began, his wide grin stretching even wider with joy. He looked up with questioning eyes at the proud parents, asking humbly, "May I?" wanting to approach the young one so he could see him better. Nephthys and Reseph-Ari both nodded, and the father of the hatchling shifted out of the way so that his Ba's 'Brother in Time' could step closer to the nest.

Treading as carefully and quietly as he could -so as not to startle the baby- Critias walked right up to the infant and knelt beside him not two feet from his snout. Holding his hand out palm-up for the baby to sniff, Critias was showing the baby that he trusted it not to harm him, and also that he was not a threat- that the baby could trust him as well. The hatchling squeaked in curiosity as he slowly bent his head toward the proffered hand, sniffing gently and squeaking in greeting to this newcomer.

Critias' gray-blue eyes were shining with such love and happiness toward the youngest addition to his family that it looked like they were moist with tears. He beamed when the baby nuzzled his head against the hand that he'd sniffed, silently asking to be petted. Critias happily obliged, and the infant purred like a cat would, enjoying the attention.

"He's certainly very affectionate. But I can't say I'm surprised." Critias grinned up at the parents, who both raised scaly eyebrows. "Both of his parents are kindhearted, gentle souls whose hearts shine with the light of love. That light can cut through any darkness, no matter how deep. This little one will grow up to be a great and mighty dragon someday, if he's got you two -pardon, _three_ \- looking out for him and teaching him."

Reseph-Ari and Nephthys smiled in nostalgia as they both remembered what Seth had said to the Dark Priest at the temple of Ra so long ago in Egypt. Seth had imparted to the man who had been his father: 'That light that shines through this darkness is love!' Had Critias somehow been watching over them the whole time? Had he taken it upon himself to be a spiritual guardian to his sister's descendants, all the way down to his Chosen Duelist, Seto? Or was it simply an amazing coincidence? There seemed no other explanation why he would use that particular phrasing. In response to their confused looks, Critias winked, confirming their suspicions.

"I _was_ watching over you." Critias answered. "I watched over all of you from the Dominion, even though I was trapped in crystal and couldn't do anything. If you remember, my eyes were closed when I was sealed. I may not have been able to _do_ anything, but I was able to dream truly of the events in the human world. At least those events concerning my family and their descendants."

Reseph-Ari nodded, and Ryushiro did too. That made sense. And it stood to reason that Critias would do something like that. He was always a noble knight, watching over those he loved and doing everything in his power to protect them.

" _Have you been to the_ _h_ _uman_ _w_ _orld yet, Critias?"_ Ryushiro asked mentally, and the knight turned his gaze to him. _"To meet this hatchling's Ba?"_

"Not yet. I was just about to, though. I kinda wanted to see you guys first and meet your little dragon- since you guys live closer to me than they do." Critias winked, causing all three of the adult dragons to smile and nod. Putting a hand on the top of the baby's head, he whispered to the young dragon, "Grow up strong, young one. And listen to your family. They will lead you down the best path." Then he closed his eyes and disappeared with a flash of blue light, vanishing to the other mortal world to visit his Brothers in Time and their newest family member.

* * *

A few days later, Seth came to his brother's study after dinner and knocked on the door-frame, announcing his presence.

"Come in." came a half-hearted reply as its speaker sighed.

"Greetings, hikari." Seth smiled, in a cheery mood. He had been on cloud 9 ever since his son was born.

Seto sighed again in frustration and closed his laptop, fed up with the incompetence of some of his employees. He folded his hands and managed a forced smile for his other half. It wasn't fair to Seth if he took his ire out on him. "What can I help you with, Seth?" he asked semi-gently.

Seth smiled back, unaffected by his hikari's grumbly mood. "I now know what I wish to do with my life. I know that Kaibacorp. pays for all of this and that we are all well taken care of, but I want to do my part to help in any way I can."

Seto nodded in approval. Kisara had expressed a similar desire a few weeks ago, and Seto had hired her as his new personal secretary after the previous one had quit. She was to start her first day of work tomorrow.

"What'd you have in mind?" he asked, and his yami smiled again. "I wish to be an officer of the law. I feel that is the best way I can use my skills to protect my family and serve my community."

Seto raised his eyebrows in surprise, but then nodded. That sounded perfect for his other half. He smiled in spite of himself. "You'll need a driver's license. And special training. It's not one of those jobs that just anyone can do right off the bat."

"I know. I already filled out the forms to take some classes and to get a license. I just wanted to let you know so that you know what's happening with some disappearing funds." Seth laughed, and Seto grinned.

"Well, I appreciate the heads-up." Seto chuckled, his bad mood fading in light of Seth's sunny attitude. "And good luck. You're gonna need it."

"Thank you." Seth nodded, turning to return to his own study/bedroom. Just before he left the room, he looked back over his shoulder. "Maybe you could find one of the 'old hands' that worked at Kaibacorp. before. To help you with your 'staffing issues'." he suggested casually, then he disappeared around the corner.

Seto frowned in thought for a moment, then pulled up a record of Kaibacorp.'s past employees under its previous CEO. He found a name that fit in the department he was looking for, and half-smiled at the serendipity of it all. This man had been hired by his biological father when he'd worked as the Head of Programming at the old Kaibacorp., and that was one of the few departments that had not changed much with the new direction of the company. The man had been fired on bogus charges, and Seto knew that Gozaburo had only been trying to cover up his murder of Seto's real father. [See 'Tragedy of the Past'.]

"He'll be perfect. If only he could sober up." Seto mused, studying the name. "But then, this may be just the cure he needs to get his life back on track. I owe Wheeler anyway. I've lost count of the times he's saved or helped to save my or Mokuba's life. The _least_ I can do is offer his father a way to give his life purpose again."

With that, he began typing up a letter for the elder Mr. Wheeler to consider.

* * *

"Ey Dad. I'm home." Joey announced tiredly, having just returned from his third job. He flopped down on the couch across from his father in the easy chair.

"Dis is really unexpected, but you got a letter, Dad." Joey announced with a raised eyebrow, flipping the envelope over to his sire- where it landed neatly in the man's lap.

John Wheeler gave his son a raised eyebrow of his own at the stunt, but then shrugged when the boy grinned. Picking up the missive, John frowned in surprise when he spotted the return address.

"I haven' seen one a' _these_ since-" the man began, but broke off when he noticed Joey looking at him. "Why would _you_ get a letter from Kaiba, Dad? Ya weren't drivin' again, were ya?" he asked carefully, worried the letter was a lawsuit they couldn't afford to pay.

"No. It's nothin' like that." John assured his son. "I- I used ta work there. Before."

This surprised Joey so much that his jaw dropped. "Before Kaib- ah, Seto took over?"

John nodded. "I actually worked in Programming under 'is father. His _real_ father." he clarified. "But den Gozaburo fired me when my boss was murdered, 'cuz I knew too much." he growled.

"Is dat why ya started drinkin'?" Joey asked -completely serious now- and somewhat sympathetic. His Dad wasn't as much of a loser as he'd thought.

"Yeah. Th' guy was a close friend a' mine. When I heard what happened to 'im an' his two little boys, I was happy ta get out from under dat monster. Then th' murderer had da guts ta blacklist me, ta keep my mouth shut. I'd say 'e got 'is just desserts in de end, tho." he growled again, twisting around his beer bottle in one hand.

"Ya got dat right." Joey growled back. Then he looked at the letter again. "Ya tink Kaiba's givin' ya yer job back? I mean, 's pretty much da same kinda stuff, right?"

"Yeah. It is." John answered distractedly, opening the letter and unfolding it, scanning the print carefully. His graying eyebrows disappeared into his lighter blond bangs, and he inhaled in a slow gasp. "You were right, Joey." he breathed.

Joey grinned. "Well, yer gonna hafta sober up if ya wanna work fer Kaiba. He doesn' tolerate drunkards."

John nodded seriously, standing up and tossing his empty beer bottle into the recycle bin like a basketball. "Already workin' on it, boy." he smirked, the first real smile Joey Wheeler had seen from his father since he was 6.

"Oh, also I've got kinda a big bomb ta drop on ya, Pops." Joey added some time later, after Mr. Wheeler sent a reply letter accepting the position.

"Oh yeah? An' wha's dat, son?" John asked, sitting back down in his armchair. After the news he'd received today, he didn't think anything more could surprise him.

"I've asked Mai ta marry me." Joey said -completely straight-faced- but then snickered when his Dad spit out his water and tonic.

" _WHAT_?! Ya mean dat hot duelist gal who got 4th in dat 'Duelist Kingdom' tournament an' 6th in Kaiba's 'Battle City' one?"

"Yep. Mai Valentine." Joey answered, and John leaned back in his chair. "Dang, son." was all he had to say, and Joey smirked.

"Dat's another reason fer ya ta sober up. Mai's a lady, an' I _want_ you ta be a part a' my life, Dad. But ya gotta be sober if ya wanna spend any kinda time wid da grandkids." Joey grinned.

John got a 'deer-in-the-headlights' look again. "You're not sayin'-"

Joey backpedaled so fast he nearly jumped out of his skin. "NO! No way, Dad! I meant in da future. _After_ we get hitched."

John breathed a sigh of relief as he flopped back down in his favorite comfy armchair. "Had me scared fer a minute dere, boy. I _know_ I didn' do th' best job a' raisin' ya, but I'm glad ya know _that_ much."

Joey nodded. "I'd never do dat ta Mai. She's-"

John nodded back understandingly. "She's ta you what yer Ma was ta me." he interrupted. "Still _is_ , come ta think of it." He got pensive after that. "I haven' spoken ta her in _years_. What kinda an a$$ _am_ I? No _wonder_ yer embarrassed ta call dis place home. It's a mess. _I'm_ a mess. My whole _world's_ a mess 'cept fer you an' yer sister." he sighed heavily, dropping his face into his hands.

Joey felt extremely awkward now. He hadn't thought his father cared about much of anything anymore, but that wasn't true. He cared about his family just as much as -if not more than- Joey himself did. _Guess_ _ **dat's**_ _where I get my passion from. My Dad._ he thought to himself.

"Well, tanks ta Kaiba, now ya can pull yer life outta dis rut an' get it back on track." Joey grinned and clapped a hand on his father's shoulder. John jumped a little, but then relaxed again.

"Yeah. Yer right, Joey." John smiled. "Seto's turnin' out ta be more like 'is father ev'ry day. I look at 'im in da paper or on TV, an' I see my best friend smilin' back at me."

* * *

Hours later -when most of Domino had gone to bed- Seto Kaiba was flying high above the streets of the city he called home, just to let off some steam. It had been more stressful than necessary telling one of his programmers that his incompetence was no longer tolerable. The man actually had the audacity to throw a punch at his ex-employer before being forcibly expelled from the premises by Roland and his security team. Seto had caught the man's fist before it came anywhere near his face -so he wasn't hurt at all- but he still felt bad for the man.

-Flashback-

"I actually kinda deserved a sock in the jaw. I probably could've handled that better. More gently at least." he confessed to Roland after the man was removed.

"Not true, sir. Mr. Tanaka was embezzling funds from the company, which would account for his shoddy workmanship as well. Your actions were completely justified." the Head of Security imparted. "Master Noah discovered him this morning." he explained as his boss looked at him quizzically.

Seto raised both eyebrows in surprise, but then smiled. Having a robot for a brother _did_ have its perks.

-End Flashback-

Seto alighted on a skyscraper roof that overlooked the entire city. He breathed a sigh of near-contentment in the crisp night air, but then he heard something crash and a woman scream. He gasped and immediately dove into action, racing for the center of downtown Domino.

Arriving on the scene, he spotted the cause of the commotion. A helicopter had landed badly on the roof of the local newspaper high-rise and was about to fall over the edge, taking its pilot with it.

Seto flew as fast as he could to the roof of the building, but wasn't fast enough to grab the copter before it fell off the ledge. He growled in annoyance as he threw himself into a dive to catch the vehicle- hopefully before it crashed into Main Street. The pilot was thrown from the cockpit and was now falling slightly above it, injured slightly but conscious.

The man braced himself for the impact that would splatter him like Jell-O on the concrete, but it never came. He felt a bit of pressure around his ribcage, felt a scaly and plated arm around his torso and heard the _fwap_ _-_ _fwap-_ of wings close to his ear. Daring to open his eyes, he was shocked to find that a masked, be-winged hero had caught him in midair with one hand and held up the helicopter in the other.

"Wow." the man quipped. "Domino's personal Superman."

The hero laughed at that as he set the man's feet on the solid ground, then lowered the vehicle down to the asphalt road. Everyone around them was applauding raucously, and the hero just grinned and saluted before taking off.

Or at least, that was the plan. A shot rang out from among the cheers, and Seto felt something small and roundish crumple against and bounce off his back just between his wing joints.

Quicker than the human eye could see, Seto appeared before the shooter and wrested the gun from his grip, crushing it in his hand. "Cut it out." he growled. "That tickles." Though the words were jovial, there was no humor in the hero's tone, only righteous fury. It hadn't hurt him one bit, but the bullet could have ricocheted and hurt an innocent bystander.

"Got any more bright ideas, genius?" he asked the man, and Tanaka shook his head vigorously.

"Good. Then we'll just have to add attempted murder to your theft charges." Seto growled again, and the man's eyes widened fearfully. "I never expected you'd go _this_ far. Really, Tanaka. What will your family think?"

"Yer no hero. Yer a _monster_!" he roared, aiming another punch at his former boss's face. Seto just rolled his eyes, ducked, then decked him himself- growling a third time, " _That's_ for the name-calling."

The crowd clapped again as Tanaka was taken away and Ryushiro flew off to return to his home, taking the long way both to clear his head and to discourage any on his trail- to keep his secret identity safe.

Landing on the back porch, Seto transformed his dragon wings into a cape once again and the rest of his scales and plates into armor. Removing every piece and stuffing them into a duffle bag, he neatly folded his cape and set it atop the other pieces and zipped the bag shut. Then he opened the door and walked into the warmth of his house.

To his surprise, he found that Noah had been waiting for him in the living room, sitting in _his_ armchair. The boy-robot stood to his feet when Seto entered the house, then smiled. "Welcome home, bro."

"Aren't you supposed to be in Sleep Mode by now?" Seto grinned by way of greeting. "It's pretty late."

"I know, but I wanted to ask you something when nobody else was around. It's kinda personal." the boy replied, looking at his socks and shuffling his feet awkwardly.

Seto raised an eyebrow, curious. "Okay, shoot. What's on your mind?" he asked, and the true Kaiba heir shifted his weight from one leg to the other uncomfortably.

"I wanna find- Could you- help me find-" he began, but broke off to find the right words. Not to mention his suddenly absent courage. Finally he nodded.

"I need to know what happened to my mother."

* * *

End of Chapter 3

Next chapter teaser: Family

Yep. Evil cliffie again. I can't help it, they're too tempting! Just like chocolate-covered cherries. Mmm!

Wouldn't a baby Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon be _so_ cute? Yeah, now I want one! And we get a cute moment between the dragon family and the youngest Legendary Knight. Aw!

Like I said in the chapter, I made that up with Seto's real father and Joey's dad being friends with him. If you wanna read the whole story, look up 'Tragedy of the Past' on my profile page. Just a short one-shot.

Ryushiro (not the dragon) is getting pretty famous around Domino, isn't he? That's _two_ saves now. Nice job, hero!

Hey, you know what else is tempting for an author like me? Reviews! Especially those Long Johns with lots of Constructive Criticism sprinkles on top! Come on, send a few of those delicacies my way! You know you want to! -Of course, short, sweet little éclairs are fine too. I gobble those up like popcorn. Yummy!

However, I normally can't stand those Fireball-flavored flames. Most of the time they're cheaply made and don't contain any useful material at all. If you would be so kind as to keep those to yourselves, I would be most grateful.

Welp, until next chapter! Bye!

Tsunami Storm


	4. Family

Prince of Egypt, another YuGiOh! story by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 4: Family

* * *

It was a beautiful misty morning in the world of the Ka, and Critias was walking along the beach that divided the land from the sea. He breathed deeply and sighed contentedly as he looked out over the pristine blue waters. He really loved this time of day when no one was up and about- not even the Winged Beast-type monsters. He looked down through the clear waters all the way to the undersea temple where the Water guardian -King's Knight- was caring for the ancient sanctuary.

Critias stretched his arms behind his head as he looked out over the endless blue once again, deciding on a whim to take a quick flight over the waters. He didn't feel like fully transforming into his dragon form today, so he merely turned his cape into midnight-blue wings and took off from the sands- winging over the gently rolling waves like a true master of the skies.

Passing the undersea temple, Critias gently slowed his speed to a hover as he gazed out over the endless expanse of blue in every direction. If he focused, he could just barely make out the Castle of the Sun behind him and to the north, almost completely hidden by the morning mist. By those calculations, he guessed he was hovering over the exact spot that was halfway between the castle where he now lived and the temple where his friend was guardian.

Giving into impulse once again, Critias grinned as he dove into the warm water, just floating on the surface of the water for a bit and relaxing for a moment. It took a herculean amount of strength to keep himself afloat with his armor on, but such things were second nature to the knight now. He'd had eons to practice adjusting to life in a dragon form, and this armor was not even ⅒ of his weight as a mythological beast. Compared to that, this was nothing.

Without warning, something below the surface of the sea suddenly caused it to bubble violently as if that area was boiling. Critias shot up out of the water in surprise as a giant maelstrom began to form exactly where he had been floating seconds ago. Critias swiftly winged out of the way as a sudden lance of lightning fell from the heavens and struck the eye of the whirlpool, which was now the size of the Castle and growing steadily larger. Looking up, Critias was surprised to see a reverse cyclone swirling in the sky, twisting the clouds above just as the waters were circling beneath them.

Critias watched the anomalous phenomenon with awe and just a bit of fear in his eyes. He had never seen such a raw display of absolute power in his long life, and he wondered if perhaps the Sky Dragon was in a bad mood this morning.

" **It is not** _ **I**_ **who is causing this."** an immensely powerful voice thought-spoke to the timeless knight, who immediately bowed as low as he was able while still remaining airborne. **"It is the will of the Dominion itself that Atlantis rise again."**

Critias' jaw dropped. " _Atlantis_?! Here?!" he gasped, looking down at the gaping maw of the ocean below him. Sure enough, he could barely make out a spire of the old castle rising from the depths of the waters.

Critias looked up to the sky deity in shock, and could now see his long red-and-black body twisting the clouds around, stirring up the upside-down tornado.

" **We have spoken."** the Sky Dragon imparted imperiously. **"It is the realm's own will that Atlantis be reborn in the Dominion, but not so with her people. You and your brothers shall lead them into a new life in the human world."** Osiris commanded, and Critias bowed his head again, accepting the titanic responsibility. Now all he had to do was tell Hermos and Timaeus. _This_ was going to be fun.

" _What_ did you say?" Timaeus cried, flabbergasted, as Critias explained what had happened this morning. The youngest Legendary Knight just grinned.

"If you don't believe me, fly out there and see it for yourself." he beamed. "It's in a terrible state of disrepair -as it's been underwater for 10,000 years- but it's there." he explained, his gray-blue eyes shining with wonder and unfettered happiness.

"That's been your greatest dream, hasn't it Critias?" Hermos asked, happy for his brother. "And now it's come true."

Critias nodded, tears in his eyes. "Atlantis can finally move forward. And we can too. After 10,000 years, our people can live again at last."

* * *

Kaiba Land amusement park, 3:00 pm-

"Did you girls see on the news? Domino City may have its very own superhero!" one high school-aged girl gushed to her friends.

"Ooo, yeah! He's made _two_ heroic saves already! My heart's all aflutter just thinking about him!" another of the girls squealed.  [See 'Union of Two Dragons' for the first.]

"I wonder who his next save will be? Do you think he would rescue _me_ if I needed help?" the third sighed, her mind miles away in the clouds.

"He could rescue _me_ anytime! And then we'd totally fall in love at first sight!" the first drooled, her irises and pupils turning into pink hearts.

"Now ladies, you must bear in mind that no one knows this hero's identity." a calm and cautionary voice sounded behind them. "We cannot be certain that this mystery savior _is_ a young man. Jumping to conclusions often leads to grave misunderstandings." he imparted wisely, causing the fans to gasp and whirl to face the newcomer.

"Oh, it's that guy from the Dark Magic shows." one fan realized, smiling at the armored spellcaster who bowed back in greeting. "His show's pretty cool. We should go see one today!" another observed, and Mahaad blushed at the praise. "Thank you." he smiled, grateful.

"I guess we _were_ getting ahead of ourselves." the first admitted. "But wouldn't it be so perfect if they were a handsome young man? I've always wanted a superhero for a boyfriend!" she sighed dreamily. "Ooo! Me too!" the other two squealed simultaneously.

Mahaad had to try hard to resist rolling his eyes at the shallow group of fangirls, so he turned away for a moment. Luckily the girls were too busy fawning over the mystery hero to even notice that he left. _Seto would never choose someone like them, anyway. If his heart is led to_ _ **any**_ _young woman, that person is truly special indeed. It will take a unique person to win the heart of our dragon hero._ he thought to himself. _These girls are merely infatuated with his fame and his mysterious identity. They are only chasing the unattainable._ And with that, the elite spellcaster left the group of fangirls to prepare for his next magic show at 3:30.

* * *

A few days later-

"Noah." Seto said into his intercom machine. "Come to my office when you have a minute." he told him, and the young 15-year-old robot walked in within five minutes.

"You wanted to see me, Nii-san?" Noah asked, sitting down on the sofa.

"Yeah. It's about- what we talked about the other night. I- I know where she is." Seto sighed, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them as he looked at the computer screen.

Noah gasped. "Are- are you serious?! That's incredible! Where?"

Seto looked down at his keyboard. "See for yourself." he muttered quietly, not sure if he could actually tell the boy out loud.

Noah cocked his head to the side in confusion, but then rose from the sofa and walked around Seto's desk to look at the computer screen. He frowned for a moment, then breathed, "But that's- isn't that the Domino cemetery?"

"Yeah." Seto nodded slowly. "I'm- I'm really sorry, Noah." he looked down at his feet as Noah continued to stare at the screen, the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

"I guess I didn't expect to find her alive, after everything that's happened." the boy sighed, closing the window and walking back to the couch, flopping onto it and leaning his head back. "I shouldn't have got my hopes up. Thanks for looking anyway, Nii-san."

Seto smiled sadly. "Anytime, kid. That's what family's for."

Noah echoed his stepbrother's expression, then stood up from his seat. "I'm all finished with what I was doing anyway, so I'm gonna visit the cemetery. I haven't been there for a long time."

Seto nodded. "I'm sure she'd like that. _If_ he cared, I'm sure _he_ would've liked that too. But we both know that's not the case." he grimaced, not happy about being forced to think of _him_.

Noah snorted. "Yeah, I'm not going to see _him_. He doesn't deserve it. But _she_ does." he smiled, then waved to his brother and left the office, heading to the elevator.

Seto waited with a somber expression until he heard the elevator doors open, then opened the window to Google Maps again. He panned over the cemetery, then zoomed in to a spot on the opposite end from the Kaiba's grave. He sighed and touched the screen with a few fingers, his mind in the past- in happier times. "Love you, Mom. Dad." he whispered softly, then he kissed the fingers of his other hand and brushed them gently across the screen that was displaying the headstone.

* * *

Noah weaved carefully between the headstones as he made his way to the wealthier part of Domino cemetery, looking at the names of the interned as the markers grew ever larger and more elaborate the further he journeyed. For some reason the fog from this morning had lingered in the cemetery instead of dissipating like usual, and was quite thick for this time of day. Noah was so busy looking at the names on the gravestones that he didn't notice what was right in front of him until it was too late.

"Oof! Oh, excuse me, ma'am. I'm sorry!" he apologized quickly, bowing contritely as the woman turned to look at the boy who'd bumped into her.

"No harm done, young man. Are you here to pay your respects too?" the woman smiled, and Noah nodded, still keeping his gaze downward. "That's nice. You're a very polite boy. Most your age wouldn't be here except to cause mischief." she chuckled.

Noah smiled wryly. "I guess, but I'm not exactly a normal teenager." he joked as he finally looked up at the headstone that the woman had been studying. "Hey, this is it!" he gasped, feeling a sweatdrop run down his face at the ostentatious monument. It was carved from a single piece of black marble and was at least twice as tall as all the others. _Figures Dad would go overboard with even_ _ **this**_ _._ he thought to himself. "Not too subtle, was he?" he growled aloud.

The woman chuckled. "No, I guess he wasn't." she smiled sadly at the epitaph. "Both my husband and my son are buried here, both of them falling to tragic fates- quite literally in my husband's case." she sniffed, but somehow Noah got the feeling that the woman was mourning her son only.

"Gozaburo Kaiba." Noah read. Then he mentally recited the dates, the last being about eight years ago.

"Father, President and Conqueror

'Nevermore'

Heh. That's a good one. Wonder who wrote that on here." Noah mused, silently laughing to himself. _Seto probably did that. It sounds like something he would do. Or hey, maybe Mokuba did it._ he shrugged.

"I think it was the new president of Kaibacorp. My stepson, though I've never met him personally." the woman smiled wryly. "I'd heard he was very smart and clever. This just proves it." she sighed. "But I like what he wrote for my son."

Noah looked up again at that, then read his own inscription, the date of his death being about 9 years ago.

"Noah Kaiba

Beloved son and brother

May his spirit find eternal happiness."

"It's funny, Noah didn't have any brothers. Well, by _blood_ anyway." the woman mused, still smiling.

"Mokuba probably wrote that one." Noah chuckled. "Seto didn't like me that much back then."

The woman gasped, having overheard the boy's muttering. "What- what are you saying, young man?"

Noah didn't even look up. "Do you remember your husband saying that there might've been a way to save your son? By digitizing his mind in cyberspace?"

The woman gasped again. "Yes, but I thought he was just mad with grief. How do you- know about that?"

"It worked." Noah answered calmly, still not meeting the woman's gaze. "Your son was alive in cyberspace for 6 years after his accident, and then two years ago was freed and given a robot body so he wouldn't have to be stuck in that glitchy virtual nightmare anymore. His step-brothers built it for him." he smiled, thinking of his beloved brothers.

"So then-" Mrs. Kaiba gasped, coming to a realization. "You're saying that-"

Noah finally looked up, smiling into his mother's blue eyes. "Hi Mom." he laughed, the same blue eyes watering with joy.

Mrs. Kaiba collapsed to her knees as she embraced her long-lost son, tears streaming down both their cheeks.

Back down the row a ways -leaning up against a headstone, folding his arms and smirking- was Seto Kaiba himself. A mix of emotions was battling in his thoughts, but all of them were happy ones. He was happy for his younger step-brother that he'd finally found his mother, proud that he'd actually managed to track her down, and feeling victorious that his little surprise had worked. Noah had just _assumed_ that she'd been buried in the cemetery. He hadn't expected that she would be visiting a grave. Seto snorted to himself. Apparently he still had a bit of a mischievous streak. He'd thought that had dried up long ago with his childhood. Taking one more look at the embracing mother and son, Seto turned and walked back up the row. It had been a long time since he'd said 'hello' to his own parents.

* * *

Months later-

"Domino City is in a state of shock. Just this morning, a beloved surgeon of this town was found comatose in her home by a close friend who prefers not to be named at this time. Miss Itonami Hana was rushed to Domino General hospital, where she remains in a catatonic state. The doctors are trying everything conceivable to awaken her, but have not yet met with success-" _Click_.

"Oh no! Hana!" Mokuba cried, racing to his brother's office door and wrenching it open.

"Mokuba." Seto called sharply. "Stop."

"But how come, Seto? She's our friend! We _gotta_ do something!" the teenager cried, little tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"There's nothing we _can_ do, kiddo." Seto sighed as he turned away from his laptop for a moment, wiping some tears of his own away from his face. "Josephus' curse finally took effect. Hana's gone for good." he sniffled, trying and failing to hide his emotional slip.

"Stupid Josephus! Why'd he have to do that?" Mokuba punched the armrest of the sofa angrily. "I mean, she didn't even get to say _goodbye_! I really liked her! She was my friend!"

"She was _my_ friend too, Mokie." Seto agreed sadly, sniffling again. "I don't like it either, but there's nothing we can do. The only thing we _can_ do is honor her memory and never forget her. Be thankful for the time she _did_ have to spend with us." he sighed, closing his laptop until he found the strength to resume his work.

Just then something occurred to the black-haired teenager. "I don't really get it. If that curse was supposed to take Hana away, then how come her _body_ is still here in Domino? Shouldn't she have disappeared without a trace?"

Seto shook his head. " _That's_ Hanna Sierra, Bret's sister. Hana's hikari. As far as I know, none of us have ever met her." he corrected his brother, and Mokuba looked down in understanding. The young woman he'd grown to love was no more, and had passed on long ago in ancient Rome.

"It's not fair!" Mokuba repeated angrily, hitting the innocent sofa again.

"No it's not." Seto agreed. "Just like it wasn't fair when we lost our parents. But Life just doesn't work that way, kid. Not for us." he sighed again, putting a hand over his eyes and leaning his elbow on his desk. Then a ghost of a smile flitted across his face, just long enough for Mokuba to catch it. "Look at it this way, kiddo. If Hana _hadn't_ gone back to Rome, none of us would've ever met Wheeler. Right?"

Mokuba looked up at that. "Oh yeah. Right. So in a way, a part of Hana _is_ still here. In Joey."

"She'll always be in our hearts, if we never forget her. Friends never really say goodbye." Seto smiled sadly, opening up his computer again and clicking a few keys, typing up invitations to a special service for their friend. He would make sure that there was a monument built here -in the Domino cemetery- where her friends and family in the modern world could pay their respects to their best friend and sister. There was no body to bury, and he would have to explain to Domino's reporters what was going on -especially with Miss Sierra in the hospital- but he wanted to have something in Domino to remember his friend by, not some 3,000-year-old grave all the way in Rome- halfway around the world. When he had finished typing up the invitations and got them looking the way he wanted, he sent the command to the printer and pressed the intercom button for his secretary.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" came a sweet, cheerful voice from the other end of the machine. Seto had to smile. Kisara hadn't even been working there as his personal secretary for two months, and yet she already sounded like a seasoned professional.

"I just sent something down to the printer by your desk. Can you make about 50 copies and send them out to all our friends around Domino? It's not urgent or anything, but I would like to hold the service this weekend if possible." he requested, and he could almost see Kisara's nod as she agreed. "Of course, Mr. Kaiba. I'll get on it right away. Is there anything else you need? Y'know, while I'm already up?" Seto could hear the barest hint of teasing in her voice, but he knew it was all in good fun. He smirked to himself. "Well, if we got any mail today, you could bring _that_ up with a cup of coffee." he suggested, throwing in a little teasing note of his own to keep the ball rolling.

"Oh! Of course, sir! I'll be right up!" Kisara squeaked, cutting off the conversation abruptly as she took her finger off the intercom button and rushed to complete her newest tasks. Seto smirked to himself. He could almost see his sister-in-law dashing around her desk like a headless chicken.

"Okay, what's so funny, Seto?" Mokuba grinned, noticing the pronounced smirk on his brother's normally stoic face.

"Nothing important." Seto answered as he shook his head lightly to erase the amusing image. "It's just that Kisara should learn to take things more slowly and not at such a hectic pace. She's gonna overheat at this rate." he chuckled.

Mokuba laughed too. "She's not a computer, Seto." he giggled. "But I got the pun." he snorted. "You sure seem to be in a good mood a lot more often, Nii-sama. You'd _never_ have joked around like this five years ago." he observed thoughtfully, glancing at his brother.

Seto turned pensive as well. "Yeah, you're right about that, kiddo. I guess Hana rubbed off on me a little. She was _always_ in a good mood. She always had a smile, even when things were chaotic around her. She always managed to put on a brave and cheerful face for her friends."

"She was one of a kind." Mokuba agreed sadly. "A true princess to the very end."

"Well spoken, kiddo." Seto smiled. "I think I'll use that in the eulogy. You don't mind, do you?" he asked gently, and Mokuba shook his head.

"Knock, knock!" came another cheerful voice at that moment, accompanied by two sharp raps on the door. "Come on in, Kisara!" Mokuba called, a wide grin back on his face. Kisara was his second favorite person at Kaibacorp., surpassed only by his beloved Nii-sama. Noah was a close third, and Roland didn't really count 'cause he wasn't a Kaibacorp. employee, but their personal bodyguard.

"Here you go, sir." Kisara smiled brightly as she set the mail next to his laptop. "One mug of espresso with one cream and one sugar, and today's mail. If that's all you needed, I gotta get back to those copies of yours." she winked, and Seto smiled at her- unable as ever to keep a straight face around his lovable sister-in-law.

"Thanks Kisara. _Now_ that'll be all." Seto nodded, selecting the first envelope in one hand and his letter-opener in the other. It appeared that the elder Mr. Wheeler had considered his offer and had sent in his reply. He was concentrating on the letter, so he didn't see Kisara nearly dance out of the office and wave as she closed the door behind her. Mokuba saw it though, and he grinned at his interminably happy sister.

"Huh. I didn't expect him to accept, but -for once- _this_ surprise is welcome." Seto observed as he skimmed the business letter. "I'll have to schedule an interview later then." he continued to himself as he put the letter aside and picked up the next one. "From Yugi?" he asked, surprised, wondering what the King of Games could possibly want to ask him that couldn't be said in person. Opening the uncharacteristically fancy letter, Seto scanned the elaborate calligraphy with ever-widening eyes and rising eyebrows. When he got to the end, he actually laughed out loud. "HA! Well, it's _about_ time!" he laughed.

"What is it, Seto?" Mokuba asked, noticeably alarmed. "What happened?!"

"The King of Games has finally found his Queen, or -more accurately- he finally _asked_ her. It's been a long time coming, that's for sure." Seto chuckled, a grin once again spreading across his features. That had been happening a lot lately. And Mokie's answering grin was alarmingly close to splitting his face in half. "YUGI _FINALLY_ ASKED TÉA?!" he bellowed, and Seto had to cover his ears at the volume. "Jeez! A little louder next time, kid. I think there's still some people in _America_ that didn't hear you." he joked, making the excitable teen blush.

"Sorry, bro." Mokuba muttered, appropriately abashed. Seto shook his head exasperatedly at his kid brother, then turned his attention to the next letter in the pile. To his worry, this one looked very similar to the Mouto's letter.

"Uh oh. Here comes another one." he grimaced theatrically as Mokuba skirted the desk to come read the letter for himself. Slitting the envelope, Seto expertly withdrew the missive from its packaging and flipped it open, nodding approvingly at the neat and elegant script. He guessed that Mai had written these invites. "And it seems the Mutt and Ms. Valentine will soon be tying the knot as well. How lovely." he groaned sarcastically, honestly happy for the two but making a face for his little brother's amusement.

It worked. Seto earned a mock punch on the upper arm and a glare from Mokuba. " _Seto_." he chided, "Be nice."

"I know, I know." he chuckled. "I was only teasing." He set the invitation aside and reached for his coffee this time, taking a sip before diving into the next letter in the pile. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous." he groaned. "Three in a _row_? Either they all conspired to work out the timing of these invitations, or _somebody's_ been letting the mail pile up down there." he growled and grinned, making sure to push the intercom button so that Kisara could hear too.

"It wasn't me! I promise!" came a surprised and slightly indignant squeak from the machine, and Seto snorted. "Gotcha, sis." he laughed, and Kisara laughed too from the other end. "Yep. You sure did. Good one, sir." she giggled. "But in answer to your question, I'm pretty sure they all planned for this to happen with the invitations."

"I dunno." Seto argued. "I can see _Yugi_ and _Joey_ conspiring like this, but _Mahaad_ too? He doesn't really strike me as the impulsive type." he continued, but then at that moment recalled a few instances where _Dark Magician_ had been rather impulsive- such as wagging his finger at him during Seto and Yugi's duel atop the rampart of Pegasus' castle. He was pretty sure that the holograms hadn't been programmed to allow that.

"Perhaps not, but Mana probably had something to do with it. We all know how mischievous _she_ can be." Kisara answered wryly, and Seto could almost see her rolling her eyes. "And she _is_ master Mahaad's sister." she reminded him.

"True. Maybe it runs in the family." he guessed, opening the third invitation, this time from two of his favorite spellcasters. When he opened the letter however, he had to bite back a bark of laughter. "HA! Oh, Mana. She actually wrote this in hieroglyphics! She _does_ know that not everybody can read those, right?" he laughed as he scanned the invitation.

"What are you talking about, Seto?" Mokuba frowned as he too read the missive over his brother's shoulder. " _I_ can't read hieroglyphics, but I can read _this_ just fine! It's written in plain ole kanji, just like the other ones." he observed, confused.

Seto raised his eyebrows. "She must've put a spell on it so that the characters could change to whatever language the reader is fluent in. Either that or _you_ can somehow read hieroglyphics now, like I can." Seto observed, glancing at his brother with an impressed smile on his face.

"You mean like when you translated that Hieratic text on the Ra card?" Mokuba asked, and Seto nodded. "But I couldn't read it back then, I had to wait for the computer to translate it. I don't get it."

Seto shrugged. "You were probably too young back then. If you're anything like me, your magic was probably latent until you turned 13. That's about when mine started up. And that's about when Mahaad said that most magical abilities start to manifest themselves."

" _I_ have magic too?!" Mokuba squeaked, and Seto grinned. "Well, yeah. You're _my_ little brother, aren't you?" he grinned, grabbing his little brother in a sudden headlock and giving him a noogie. "Ack! _Seto_!" Mokuba laughed, and the brothers laughed together for the first time in far too long. It felt good to laugh like that again.

One thing was for sure: After today, nothing would _ever_ be the same in Domino.

* * *

End of Chapter 4

Next chapter teaser:

Well, _this_ was an emotional roller-coaster of a chapter, wasn't it? First it surprises you with what Critias witnessed, then it makes you roll your eyes at fangirls, then it makes you go 'Aw!' with Noah, then it makes you sad with Hana (and Hanna), and then makes you LOL with the wedding invitations flooding Seto's office. And then finally another 'Aw' moment with the bros. "Whew! Roller-coaster chapters are _fun_." the author deadpans.

If you couldn't tell already, I'm trying to set up for a nexgen story with 'Prince of Egypt'. (Not the DreamWorks movie, _this_ story.) You've already met the main hero in ch. 3, now I'm trying to set up for the other main characters. There's 4 in all: Ramses Kaiba, Yugi and Téa's kid, Joey and Mai's kid, and Mahaad and Isis' kid. No, I'm not telling who they are just yet. You'll have to wait for the coming chapters! More fun cliffhangers!

It's been _nine_ stories since 'Flower of Life', and I _still_ feel bad for killing off one of my OCs. First it was Hanna Sierra, now it's Hana Itonami. Like I said before, they _won't_ be coming back. I didn't want Hana and Hanna to turn into more Mary Sues. FF has enough of those already. However, I'm curious to hear your opinions on the subject. What'd you think of Hana? Was she too much of a Mary Sue, or was she enough of an interesting character to avoid it? I welcome ConCrit, but please no flames. I've been burned enough by trolls. As have many of you lovely readers, I'm sure. *wry smile*

Well, that's all for now. See you later, alligators! In a while, crocodiles!

Tsunami Storm


End file.
